


Yours is the only vote that counts

by kittykaty



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Jimintou, Johnny's, M/M, Politics, Tokyo - Freeform, first time sex with a man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 17:00:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12392292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittykaty/pseuds/kittykaty
Summary: With Sho falling behind in the election campaign for becoming Tokyo's mayor, Jun, his assistant, has to think of a way to make him more popular with the voters. How about having him announce that he has a boyfriend?





	Yours is the only vote that counts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rollingday_s](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rollingday_s/gifts).



> Since the sho_exchange sign-up is running right now on dw, I thought it's nice to show you my entry from last year. It was written for rollingday_s @ dw.  
> I had fun writing it because "forced relationships" are always kinda fun and who of the Arashi boys is more suited to become Toyko's new mayor? (well, Aiba, but that would be a slightly cracky story^^)

Sho opened the window of his office to let some fresh air inside. It was still early in the morning and some birds were singing in the tree in front of his window. The sun rays were still weak but Sho knew that in a few hours his office would turn quite warm due to their power.

He took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air, enjoying the sounds of nature. He used to do so every morning regardless which weather it was. It was his way to start the day that would become another busy one for sure.

Ever since he had stood for the mayor of Tokyo, there has been no breather at all. He was actually lucky to have gotten some sleep this night.

However, it had been Sho's dream ever since to work in the political field, so he had worked hard at school and university. After graduation, he had been invited to join the Jimintou and has steadily worked his way upwards.

When the mayor of Tokyo had announced his upcoming resignation, the Jimintou voted for Sakurai Sho to enter the election campaign as their prime candidate. Truly happy about the trust that he was given, Sho accepted and found himself in a tough fight with Koumeito's top candidate Ikuta Toma.

It was true that the Jimintou was currently the most accepted party in Japan, it was the prime minister's party after all. Still, recently, more and more electors were favouring the Koumeito, which was mostly the achievement of their charismatic leader.

Sho wasn't angry at his opponent nor did he wish him any harm. He was amazed by how easy Ikuta was able to interact with people. He was smart and gentle and, Sho had to admit, good looking. It was hard to stand against someone like this, but Sho was well liked by the people as well.

The last projections showed that this election was going to be a neck-on-neck campaign. However, today, another projection was due and Sho could only hope that he didn't loose some ground against Ikuta because it would be rather hard to catch up again.

Being in his thoughts, Sho didn't realize that the door to his office had opened. He yelped in surprise when he heard a way too cheerful shout.

“Good morning, my dear little brother!”

His sister Nana quickly closed the gap and stopped next to her brother. She craned her neck and looked out of the window as well.

“What's up there? Something happened?”

“Nothing,” Sho replied and closed the window. The silent part of his day was over. “Why are you here, Nana?”

“I was simply nearby,” his sister answered. “And Ren wanted to see his uncle, right, Ren?”

With this, she handed Sho the bundle that she had carried until now. Left with no other choice, Sho took his nephew who squealed happily when he was in his arms. For some reason Nana's son was overly in love with Sho and she would take advantage of this and leave Ren with his uncle when she was in the mood for some shopping without a baby stroller.

“Nana, I really don't have time for him today. The new projections will come out today and we will have to react accordingly,” Sho began to explain but his sister cut him off.

“I do not intend to leave Ren with you today. I was simply curious about the projections as well,” she calmed his worries.

Sho threw his sister a thankful look that she only acknowledged with a shrug. However, Sho suddenly felt all warm around his heart and it wasn't because Ren had snuggled into his arms and was slowly but surely falling asleep again. Nana might sometimes act as if the candidacy of her brother was nothing important compared to her shopping days but in the end, she was on his side, rooting for him no matter what.

Sho watched the little boy sucking on his thumb while his eyes fluttered. Suddenly, the door to his office was smashed open again, causing Ren to turn his head into the direction of the noise, ready to start crying if it was needed. Sho followed him and his good mood dropped in an instant when he saw his assistant's facial expression.

“This is not good, Sho, not good!” Jun said and pointed at some papers he was holding in his hands. He came towards Sho to show him the documents when he finally realised that Sho had some visitors.

“Good morning, Nana,” he greeted her and let himself being hugged by her. They both knew each other as long as Sho and Jun knew each other, which was a considerably long time taking in account that they went to the same kindergarten.

“Oh, and you brought little Ren along. Good morning, Baby Boy,” Jun began to coo and tousled Ren's hair who immediately started crying.

Sho threw Jun an apologetic look and began to rock Ren in his arms while he told him that Jun was a really nice guy but he just had some really distinctive eyebrows that made him look scary at first glance.

Ren inspected Jun suspiciously but decided to stop crying. Sighing deeply, Jun let himself fall into the armchair, figuring it might be better to bring some distance between himself and the sceptic baby.

“Ikuta is quite ahead of you as shown in the new projection,” he then announced dryly and handed Sho the papers.

Sho's fears, that had risen upon seeing Jun's face when he came in, were realized when he looked at the numbers. Ikuta had indeed quite a few votes more than Sho. However, it didn't seem as if he'd stolen some votes from Sho. It rather seemed as if he simply gained more voters.

Sho raised his head and threw a questioning look at Jun.

“You're right,” Jun answered Sho's unspoken question – he knew what his friend was thinking after all. “Ikuta managed to engage people that usually don't vote or are simply not interested in politics to take part in the election this time,” he went on explaining. “It was a clever move he made there.”

Nana, who had been listening silently until now, jumped in. “Who are these people that are usually not interested in politics but were engaged by him?”

Sho turned to his little sister. “Women.”

Upon seeing Nana already getting ready to tell Sho that he is an idiot, he quickly went on explaining this further.

“Don't get me wrong, Nana-chan. I know that you ARE interested in politics although you pretend no to be. However, for many women the newest skin care from Bioré is way more interesting than their new mayor.”

Nana sighed. “You're right. Most of my friends don't care about politics either.” She seemed kind of frustrated which Sho thought was really cute in a way.

“However,” she suddenly started again. “If this Ikuta guy can win the votes of the women, YOU can do that easily as well. I mean, just look at you handling Ren, he fell asleep in your arms. Seeing men with babies or small children and being actually good in interacting with them makes women go crazy.” Sho's sister had stood up during her talk and was now standing in front of her brother, pointing at him with her index finger, her face beaming upon her new idea. However, Jun crushed her high immediately.

“That's exactly what Ikuta did, so there is no way Sho can do this as well,” he told her and Nana fell onto the sofa, leaving a dissatisfied grunt. “We have to think about something else, something that also interests women and, if possible, other groups of political uninterested or disappointed people,” Jun thought aloud.

“Sho could strip for the AnAn. As far as I know he's no that bad,” Nana offered and while Sho turned deep red, Jun simply waved his hand.

“That's not helping, Nana,” he grumbled and Sho was relieved. Sometimes, Jun had really weird ideas about how to let Sho shine even more in the public eye.

Suddenly, there was a glistening in Jun's eyes and Sho knew that he had an idea. He simply hoped that it wasn't as crazy as his sisters'.

“Nana-chan, lately, women are really fond of male homosexuals, right?” Jun began and all of Sho's hoped vanished into thin air. Instead, he started to feel really anxious, which transferred over to Ren whose sleep became lighter.

Nana nodded. “Yes, many girls are reading Shounen Ai mangas. Also, fanservice in male boygroups is really popular right now,” she said thoughtfully.

“Perfect!” Jun cheered. Then, he turned around to his friend. “Sho-chan, I know how you will gain lots of votes – you'll get yourself a boyfriend!”

…

“No!”

Sho couldn't believe that Jun had just proposed that. It was just… impossible.

“Sho, listen to me,” Jun started, but Sho interrupted him.

“NO!!!”

However, the only thing that happened upon Sho's shout was Ren starting to cry after having been woken up from his sweet dreams. Nana stood up and scooped her son into her arms. Then, she reached for the stroller and made her way to the door.

“Personally, I think it's a great idea,” she said before she waved at the two men and left.

Sho was jealous. Nana knew when it was time to leave and she was free to do so. He, however, had to sit through this with Jun now, making sure to dissuade him from his idea.

“Just think about it,” Jun started again, cupping Sho's face with his hands to make him listen to him. “You won't only get the women's votes but also of those people that lead a non-conservative relationship and, believe me, these are quite a few.”

“But I am not gay!” Sho gave back.

Jun clicked his tongue. “It's not about you being gay or not. It's an act. You only have to endure it during the election campaign. Once you've won you can always tell the public that due to the huge amount of your work as mayor of Tokyo your relationship didn't last.”

As always, Jun had the good arguments.

“Sho, do you remember our vow when we started this campaign? We promised each other we will do everything to win this no matter how much we will have to sacrifice,” Jun reminded him. “Now is the time to make it.”

Sho could feel Jun's words bewitching him – as they would always do. Suddenly, Jun's idea didn't sound that stupid anymore. Sho really wanted to become the mayor, no matter what. He was still determined to fight and would not let himself down just because his shining opponent gained a few more votes than him. Still, there was some doubt left.

“I don't think there is anyone willing to act as my boyfriend,” he voiced then.

“I might know someone...,” Jun grinned.

* ~ * ~ *

Aiba was in the middle of cooking dinner when the doorbell rang. Today it was chicken curry and he had just begun to fry the chicken.

“You go!” he screamed into the direction of the living-room where his flat mate was sitting doing who knows what. Aiba heard some grumbling and shuffling but Nino seemed to make his way towards the door.

A few minutes later, Jun's head appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, grinning at Aiba.

“You're cooking again?”

Aiba sighed. “I got sick of cup noodles which seems to be the only thing Nino can manage,” he explained while adding the vegetables to the meat.

“It's rather the only thing Nino WANTS to do,” Jun set it right and earned himself a kick against his leg from the man who was currently the topic of the conversation.

Aiba grinned and finally added water and the spices before he put the lid on the pan to let it cook. Then, he pointed towards the pan.

“Do you want to stay for dinner, Jun? I made too much anyway,” he asked.

“That's my lunch for tomorrow!” Nino began to complain.

“You can make yourself some cup noodles,” Aiba gave back, not the slightest hint of pity in his voice. Nino threw him an angry glance and vanished, his lower lip sticking out.

“How can I decline such a nice invitation,” Jun laughed. Then, he helped Aiba to prepare some salad as side dish and was immediately reminded at their days as flat mates.

University had been the only time he and Sho had done something separately. The reason was their slightly different interest. Sho had always been interested in economics so he had chosen a university who was specialized in this field. Jun on the other hand loved to organize things so he had decided to study management at a different university.

During this time, Jun had lived in a shared house with two other guys – Nino and Aiba. These two had been childhood friends as well but they had never given Jun the feeling of being left out. Obviously, the two were still living together, although it was a different flat.

“Dinner is ready,” Aiba shouted towards the living room where Nino was still sulking. However, his hunger seemed to be bigger than his self-pity because he appeared in the kitchen just a few minutes later.

They sat down and chatted about old times for a while until Nino looked at Jun.

“Now, tell us why you're here,” he demanded and Jun smiled apologetically. He had been living with Nino and Aiba for three years only but they already knew him too well.

“Actually, I have a favour to ask,” he began.

“After you just ate my lunch I don't feel like doing you a favour,” Nino remarked and pointed at Jun's empty plate. Aiba's dinner had been as tasty as always.

“Lucky me, I only want to ask Aiba if he could help me out,” Jun gave back and Nino raised an eyebrow. Jun knew that in this case he had not only to convince Aiba but Nino as well. Nino could become a little bit overprotective when it came to his best friend.

“Sure, Jun, what is it?” Aiba asked, ready to help his friend out.

“Are you still part of that drama club in that little theatre?” Jun asked and Aiba nodded.

“Yes, our next play will be “My Fair Lady”,” Aiba answered. “I'll be the “Lady”,” he added then and Jun saw Nino trying to hide his amusement.

“It must be quite hard to pretend to be a woman,” Jun said but Aiba waved it off.

“It's quite fun and pretending to be someone else is a big part of acting, which I am considered to be great at,” Aiba explained proudly.

“And that's why I need YOU,” Jun began and Aiba looked at him excitedly. He loved acting and he was willing to do pretty much anything that involved it.

“I need someone acting as the boyfriend of Sakurai Sho,” Jun said, deciding that it was no use to beat around the bush any longer.

Aiba and Nino stared at Jun, not sure if they heard correctly.

“You're talking about THAT Sakurai Sho, the one standing for the position as the mayor of Tokyo, your best friend?” Nino made sure.

Jun nodded and then he began to explain everything about his plan to his two friends.

As expected, Aiba stayed silent but Nino immediately called Jun crazy.

“Aiba is not going to do this. Can you imagine the impact this will have on his life? People will start to blab behind his back. Just because Aiba is open to every gender it doesn't mean that you can simply make him do something like this. What have you been thinking?”, Nino shouted at Jun but Aiba stopped him by laying his hand on Nino's arm.

“Thank you, Kazu,” he said and smiled warmly at his friend. “However, I think this is interesting. It will require all my acting skills but I think I can pull this off,” he grinned.

Nino stared at his friend, his mouth hanging slightly open while Jun hugged Aiba tightly.

“Thank you so much, Aiba-chan. I knew you wouldn't let me down,” he cheered, feeling terribly relieved.

Nino, who had recovered from his shock, suddenly joined the conversation again.

“He won't do this for free,” he told Jun, his face determined. “After all, this will interfere with his job and he will need to pay the half of the rent,” he went on and Jun knew that there was no use to go against Nino. He had already considered this.

“Of course we will pay him for this,” Jun gave back and Aiba cheered excitedly. He had always dreamed to make money with his acting. However, until now he only earned himself some pocket money when playing in the little theatre, while he had taken another job in the bakery around the corner.

“Aiba, this will also include some kissing, you know,” Jun said, making sure Aiba had understood his job correctly.

“I don't mind that. Your Sakurai Sho friend is pretty hot,” Aiba gave back and Nino huffed while Jun laughed. He was pretty confident that he had just saved Sho's election campaign.

* ~ * ~ *

“Let's start the meeting, shall we?” Jun continued and everyone present looked up to him. Bathing in the attention, Jun began to speak.

“We're here to talk about how to let the public know that our Sho-chan here has a boyfriend.”

He hit Sho's shoulder playfully who fidgeted on his seat. Sho's eyes wandered to Aiba who was sitting next to him. Aiba didn't seem to have any problem with “showing the public that he was Sho-chan's boyfriend”. He didn't even seem to mind acting as that.

When they had met for the first time a few days ago, Aiba had hugged him, asking Sho to take care of him for this “job”. That's what it seemed to be for Aiba – a simple job.

Of course, Sho did remember Aiba Masaki. Jun had told him several stories about him when they had been separated due to their studies. He had even seen some pictures of Aiba (and Jun's other flatmate, Nino). Sho had been jealous that Jun had such friendly flatmates. Sho had been living alone but he would have loved to spend the evenings as cheerful as Jun, especially when he had such a beautiful flatmate. 

Right, Sho thought that Aiba was beautiful, in his simple, natural way. People would remember his dazzling smile for sure but Aiba wasn't just that. He was caring, a good listener and attentive of his surroundings – at least that's what Sho had heard from Jun.

If Sho would have gotten to know Aiba in his natural environment, he would have come to like this man for sure, maybe they would even have become friends. However, imagining him as his boyfriend made Sho feel dizzy about the thought. He might be able to hold hands or hug Aiba, but kissing – no way. Men did not kiss other men, that was what Sho thought since he was a boy and he simply didn't want to change his mind. They could go through this without kissing, right?!

“SAKURAI SHO! Would you please stop spacing out in the middle of our meeting,” he suddenly heard Jun scolding him. According to the sharpness in his voice he had been trying to gain Sho's attention for a while already.

“I'm sorry,” Sho mumbled and lowered his head, hearing Jun sigh.

“To help us carrying out our plan, Nana brought a good friend of her,” Jun went on. “Sho, I am sure you remember Keiko.”

Of course Sho remembered Keiko. He had a crush on her at high school. Since she had been his sister's best friend back in these days (and was still holding that position nowadays, Sho assumed), she had been at their house several times. Naturally, since he was Sho's best friend, Jun knew that Sho had had a thing for her and Sho really held it against Jun that he had chosen Keiko for this today.

Keiko had always loved to write and she belonged to those women who, like Sho's sister, were interested in politics. It was only natural that she chose the path of a journalist, which was exactly what Sho and Jun needed right now.

“Are you really sure that you want to do this?” Keiko asked, looking directly at Sho. “I agree with you that you will gain votes from many people, but you're also risking to lose your conservative voters that might not really like the idea of a gay mayor. Once we get this thing rolling, there will be now way out anymore.”

Sho nodded. Of course he and Jun had talked about the risk of loosing votes. It was going to happen for sure. However, they were expecting the number of new votes to be comparatively higher which would bring the anticipated growth of votes. Also, once in a while, you have to take a risk was what he and Jun had decided.

“Okay,” Keiko acknowledged Sho's decision. “I thought it might be the best to make it look like some paparazzi had caught you two being all lovey-dovey. This way, you don't have to announce your relationship openly, but rather can react to what will be brought to the surface,” Keiko suggested.

Sho liked the idea and that's what he told her. He had already worried about having to think of a speech in which he told the public that he was in a relationship with a man.

“Perfect!” Keiko nodded. “It will be me taking those pictures. We will have to think where and when we're shooting them, but regardless of time and place I really need you two to look overly in love,” she demanded and looked back and forth between Sho and Aiba.

“That's easy. We can do this!”, Aiba assured her and threw a failed wink at Sho who had the impression that Aiba was way more prepared to act out his role than he was.

* ~ * ~ *

Sho was looking out of the window of his car. Aiba was sitting on the backseat next to him but didn't say a word. Sho was happy, he wasn't in the mood of talking. 

They had gone through today's act several times and Sho was more than scared. The plan was that Sho was bringing Aiba back to his shared flat with Nino. They would have a sweet good-night-scene during which Keiko was going to take some pictures.

Especially the “sweet good-night-scene” was worrying Sho. Keiko had assured him that he didn't have to kiss Aiba. She would make it look like one though. Still, he had to act as if he was in love with Aiba, a man he barely knew.

Of course, Sho had been in relationships before – only with women, though. However, he had no idea how he looked like when he was in love. Was he smiling? Was he always looking at his partner? Was he making excessive body contact?

“It's going to be alright,” he suddenly heard Aiba saying. Sho turned to the man next to him. How did Aiba know that he was worrying about the upcoming event?

Aiba reached for Sho's hand and squeezed it. It took all of Sho's willpower not to pull his hand back. Aiba was trying to calm him down. Sho appreciated the thought, but holding hands already?!

Aiba was smiling at Sho and didn't let go of him while their car drove through Tokyo's streets. Somehow, a few minutes later, Sho felt indeed a bit calmer. He didn't have to do this alone afterall. Aiba was there with him too and he seemed to be quite a good actor. They would pull this off somehow. He only had to hold Aiba's hands like they were doing now, not much more...

“We'll arrive in the next minute,” Ohno, his driver, let them know.

Taking a deep breath, Sho looked at Aiba once more and met that bright smile again. As if he was hit by a ray of sunshine, Sho felt a cosy warmth wrapping around his heart, making him believe that everything would be alright.

A few seconds later, Ohno stopped the car. Without turning around, he said, “Good luck, you two!”

Sho knew that Oho was a man of few words, so he was really thankful for his encouragement.

“Let's do this,” he whispered and Aiba nodded and opened the door. Sho got out of the car behind him. There wasn't much to it, right? He only had to walk Aiba to the door, bring them in a position that made it look like they were kissing and walk back to the car.

Determined, Sho closed the car's door behind him and reached for Aiba's waist. Why holding hands if you can be closer? It would look even more in love.

Luckily, Aiba didn't seem to mind the little change of plans and threw Sho a shy look while a soft smile played around the corners of his mouth.

“You're doing great!” Aiba praised Sho, charming a little smile from Sho.

They reached the door and Sho let go of Aiba who pulled his keys out. Now, the essential part of their plan was due. Sho was supposed to grab Aiba, turn him around and press him against the door. While he was blocking the view with his back, they were supposed to let it look like a good-night-kiss.

However, from that moment, everything went wrong. Sho took Aiba by his waist, but when he turned him around, they fell over each other's feet and crashed against the door. Aiba even bumped his head on the glass.

While Sho struggled to retrieve his balance, he turned deep red. He knew he could be clumsy but he usually hide it quite well. Why did it have to show today?

Aiba was rubbing his head, his face slightly twisted in pain.

“Are you okay?” Sho asked him worried, checking Aiba's head for blood.

“I'm fine,” Aiba gave back and then, he did something unexpected. He started to laugh – loud and high, sounding like an hyena. 

Sho looked at him, first shocked, then surprised, but in the end, he joined Aiba in his laughter. He took a step back because Sho had realised that he was still trapping Aiba between the glass and his body.

“Good night, Sho,” Aiba smiled and gave him a kiss, a short one – on his lips. Then, leaving Sho who was frozen in shock, Aiba entered the house and vanished up the stairs.

It took Sho about a minute to move again. His mind was still blank, only the thought that he had just been kissed by a man was circling though it. How did it came to that? They had had a plan without a kiss. Why did it end up like this?

He reached the car and was glad that Ohno had gotten out of it and was opening the door for him. Sho let himself fall onto the backseat, letting Ohno take care of the doors. He was glad that his driver was not making comments about his failure just now. That was exactly why he valued Ohno that much – he was only speaking when it was necessary.

Sho reached for his lips. He could still feel the warmth of Aiba's lips there. They had been soft – of course, why should men's lips not be soft, Sho scolded himself. Still, it had been Aiba – a man.

However, before Sho could think about this further, his cell phone rang. He saw that it was Keiko, so he took a deep breath before he picked up the call.

“That was not what we had planned, Sho,” he heard Keiko on the other end.

“I am sorry,” Sho apologized.

“Seriously, it wasn't even complicated. You only had to walk him to the door,” she went on.

“I am really sorry,” Sho murmured. He felt like a child that was being scolded. It was an effect older women always had on him. He blamed his sister for it who had always scolded him when he was being clumsy.

“But Aiba sure covered up nicely for you,” Keiko praised. “That kiss in the end was perfect.”

Sho was arguing with himself if he should tell her that he had a slightly different opinion, but she didn't leave him time for a response.

“I have enough material to write something nice now, so you should brace yourself for what will come tomorrow,” she said before she cut the call.

Sho leaned back. Keiko was right. Tomorrow was going to get interesting – he simply hoped in a good way.

* ~ * ~ *

Aiba rushed up the stairs to his apartment. He quickly opened the door and entered their shared flat. After closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, trying to catch his breath.

He had kissed Sakurai Sho and his lips had been incredibly soft. Aiba didn't mind kissing other men, he had done so many times before, but Jun's advise was popping up in his head. He had told Aiba that Sho was still a bit reluctant acting all cute with another man, so Jun had asked Aiba to take things slow.

Kissing Sho's lips would probably not count as slow. Aiba hoped that he didn't shock Sho too much. Starting from tomorrow they had to do things like that more often though. Maybe, in Sho's case, it was the best to be really forward and confront him openly with his fears. Aiba nodded. He would make sure that Sho would loose his aversion of skinship between men.

“Aiba-shi, what are you doing there?”

Nino had appeared in the hallway and was looking at Aiba with a questioning look.

“Nothing,” Aiba shrugged and finally got out of his shoes.

“There is no way you can hide something from me, so, tell me, what happened?” Nino went on probing.

Aiba sighed. Nino was right. He always saw right through him.

“I kissed Sho,” he therefore answered truthfully.

“You did – what? But didn't Jun ask you to act slow on this?” Nino asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“It wasn't planned that way,” Aiba began and told Nino what had just happened in front of their door. When he was done, he realised, that they had moved towards the living room. He sat down on the sofa and Nino followed.

“Sho has really soft lips,” Aiba stated and received a glare from Nino. “And he smells very good,” he went on and Nino raised his hand to stop Aiba's flow of words.

“Aiba, please don't tell me you like Sakurai Sho,” his flatmate asked and looked directly into Aiba's eyes.

“I like him the way I like you – as a normal friend. It's just that for this job I have to add a bit more skinship and such,” Aiba explained and tried to escape Nino's piercing look.

“Exactly, this is a JOB. You get money for it and you are not allowed to let any of your feelings get involved,” Nino warned him and Aiba rolled his eyes. Of course, he knew that but it should be allowed to have fun at work, right?!

* ~ * ~ *

Sho was looking at the screen of his laptop. Jun had just mailed him a link where Sho could check the public reactions. The subject of Jun's e-mail was entitled “I am such a genius”.

Sho had to notice that the majority of people was okay with what had been published in today's newspaper. They were either shrugging this off with the comment that everyone was allowed to chose their own happiness, whatever this was, or were praising him that he was brave enough to have such a relationship in his position. Most of the tweets or facebook status updates were showing support towards him. Some of his followers had already drawn fanarts with him and Aiba – some in quite explicit positions that caused Sho to quickly close the window of his browser. He read the word “cute” so often in the last minutes, that he couldn't count it any more.

However, another word popped up as well.

“DISGUSTING!”

Sho's stomach turned around upon reading this. He looked at the picture above the word. Aiba was kissing him. Nothing was wrong about the kiss. It really looked like a simple good-night-kiss between two people that liked each other. Although Sho had been raised in a household were the idea of men kissing was not fitting into the concept of how society works, Sho though that the word “disgusting” was a bit too harsh.

“Did you take a look at the e-mail I sent you?” Jun asked when he entered Sho's office without even knocking.

“The one where you claim to be a genius?” Sho gave back, grinning.

“But I am,” Jun defended himself. “Just look at all the positive responses you're getting. People love you for “being brave” and “following your heart”. Lots of women suddenly took interest in you and are even following you on facebook and twitter now. If you continue with this, they will be on your side, for sure.”

“There were some critical remarks as well,” Sho threw in but Jun waved it off.

“You'll always have people that have to complain and some simply don't like the idea of men being gay and so open about it. You cannot blame them, it's their decision to think that way,” Jun brushed off Sho's worries. “The most important part is that you gained lots of attention and that suddenly people that weren't interested in you at all are now following your actions,” he went on.

As always, what Jun said made sense. The number of people bashing Sho was low compared to the ones that accepted the news or were even delighted about it. Taking this risk had been worth it and Sho was indeed relieved. Still, there were some things on his mind.

“What are we going to do from now?” he asked Jun, knowing that his assistant and friend already had planned things out.

“You keep on with your normal work, holding speeches, showing your face to the public and appearing in newspapers and on TV. You only have to add “acting all lovey-dovey” with your boyfriend to your to-do list. We have to make sure people will not lose interest in you. However, for now, they are fired up about the pictures and this will keep them busy for the next two days, I think, so you don't have to worry about Aiba-chan for now,” Jun said and Sho felt relieved.

After the kiss from yesterday he wasn't too keen on meeting Aiba. He didn't know how he should behave. Was Aiba expecting another kiss?

Jun's phone rang and with a glance at Sho, who gestured him to pick up, Jun took the call. It seemed that someone pretty angry was talking to him but all Sho could hear was a loud voice.

When Jun cut the call again, he threw an apologetic look at Sho.

“Aiba seems to have some trouble at his flat. The reporters are waiting outside to get some comments from him and apparently he cannot leave,” Jun explained and Sho rubbed his forehead.

He had been so focussed on himself that he forgot that the news would not only affect his life, but Aiba's as well. He felt responsible for Aiba in a way, so he decided that he had to act quickly now.

“I think it's the best to bring him here. The security of this building will make sure he won't get cornered by the reporters. We can think of a solution when he's here,” Sho decided and Jun nodded in agreement.

“I will send someone to fetch him,” Jun declared and took out his phone again, dialing a well-known-number.

* ~ * ~ *

“Jun just texted me and told me that someone will come to bring us out of here and take us to his office,” Nino informed Aiba who was still looking out of the window.

Quite a bunch of reporters were waiting in front of their apartment.

Seeing them made Aiba realize that Sho was actually someone really famous. Until now, and especially after meeting him, he didn't had the impression that Sho was some kind of celebrity. He seemed like a normal man to him, not overly self-conscious or even big-headed.

“You're okay?” Nino asked. He had walked over to Aiba, looking outside as well.

Aiba nodded.

“You can still stop this if you're feeling uncomfortable with it. Nobody will blame you – I will make sure,” Nino said softly.

Aiba felt tears dwelling up. Not because he was overwhelmed or scared by his current situation. He was simply moved by Nino's empathy and worries about him. Still, if Nino saw him crying now, he might misunderstand it. Therefore, he gulped down his tears before he turned around to his friend.

“I am fine,” he told him and under Nino's sceptic look, he went on. “I am just worried.”

Nino's eyes narrowed and he was about to speak when Aiba quickly continued.

“I am not worried about myself,” he clarified. “I am worried about Sho. Just look at these reporters. There so are many of them. Sho is under constant surveillance. He is not allowed to say even one wrong word or make one false move. It might crash his career he has worked so hard for. Now I am under this strict surveillance, too. I don't care what people think about me if I do something wrong. However, my actions will fall back on Sho. I sincerely hope I won't cause him any trouble,” Aiba voiced his thoughts.

To his surprise, Nino came closer and took Aiba in his arms.

“You're a great actor, Aiba-shi, you will do fine,” he assured him. Aiba hugged Nino back, thankful for his words. “However, when you feel that this is too much and you cannot bear it anymore, please tell me. We will end this then,” Nino went on.

Aiba promised to let Nino know whenever he would feel any doubts about all this and he could feel Nino relaxing in his arms. His friend had been worrying about him way more than he had shown until now and Aiba valued this very much.

Suddenly, they heard some screams from the outside. Aiba and Nino quickly turned to the window again to see what caused this ruckus.

A small man was making his way towards their front door. He didn't react to any of the reporters' shouts and when one of them got into his way, he simply shoved him out of his way as if the other man was made of paper.

“That's Ohno-san,” Aiba told Nino. “I though he is the driver, though.”

“Great,” Nino moaned. “They're sending us their driver. We rather need a bodyguard.”

They let Ohno in after he rang the bell. He told Aiba to pack a few things he might need for a night out. Nino packed a bag as well. He insisted on coming along and made clear that he won't go back to a flat which was besieged by lots of reporters as he didn't expect them to leave soon.

When they were done, Ohno asked them to stay closely behind him when they would leave the house while they shouldn't say a word. They promised him to do so and Nino threw Aiba a worried look behind Ohno's back. It was obvious that he couldn't imagine Ohno to be able to protect both of them.

As soon as Ohno opened the door, the reporters stood up and tried to corner them.

“Aiba-san, since when are you in a relationship with Sakurai-san?”

“What is he like as a lover?”

“Does his candidacy affect your relationship? Would you like to spend more time together with him?”

Aiba remembered Ohno's words and kept silent. Even if he wanted to answer, he wouldn't have been able to. He had no idea what Sho was like as a lover...

Suddenly, someone pulled Aiba at his arm and in no second, Aiba had a recorder pushed into his face.

“Tell me, are you topping him or is he topping you?” the reporter asked. Aiba felt anger dwelling up inside of him. This question was really low and no matter how famous a person was, they should be allowed to have their privacy.

Aiba was about to tell this the reporter, when Ohno suddenly appeared, bringing himself between Aiba and the other man.

“I suppose you send your questions to Sakurai-san's office instead of forcing yourself into someone's private space,” Ohno advised, his voice soft, but his eyes were narrowed and dark. He flexed his arms which suddenly looked quite muscular.

Grumbling, the reporter backed off and the three walked on to the car. Nobody was trying to get close to Aiba again and Nino looked at Ohno, impressed. The driver seemed to be someone reporters didn't want to pick a fight with.

They made it safely to the car. Nino and Aiba got in the back while Ohno took his position behind the steering wheel.

“We'll drive to Sakurai-san's office first,” Ohno informed them and Aiba saw Nino pressing his lips together. He knew that his best friend was pretty angry at Sho for putting them, especially Aiba, in a situation like this. Knowing Nino, Aiba simply hoped that their first encounter wouldn't end in a disaster.

* ~ * ~ *

“He's got a pretty nice office. He knows how to use the tax payer's money,” Nino mocked. They had been brought to Sho's office by Ohno who had informed them that Sho was in a meeting but would come back soon.

Aiba, who had been in the office before, hadn't even spent one single thought on where the money came from, that had been used to decorate the room. However, it was deeply anchored in Nino's nature to think about money.

“I paid for the furniture and decoration by myself.”

Sho had entered the room, unseen by Nino and Aiba. Jun was behind him and waved at the two.

“I am sorry for the trouble,” Sho apologised and while Aiba waved it off, Nino couldn't help but comment on this.

“You better are. There is no way we can go back to our flat during the next days,” he growled.

“That is indeed right,” Jun admitted. “They will wait for you but if nothing happens, I guess they'll loose interest. Also, Aiba-chan, I guess you will have to take some days off in the bakery...”

Aiba shrugged. He liked his job but he wasn't against a few free days either.

“And what do you think we're going to do? We will surely not pay for a hotel or anything,” Nino said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Jun had already been thinking about this problem and he had come up with a solution.

“Aiba can stay with Sho and I can offer you my flat,” he announced, earning himself some quite different reactions. Sho's eyes popped open as he hadn't heard about that plan before. Aiba didn't seem to mind but Nino was already complaining again.

“Why can Aiba not stay at your flat as well?” he asked, moving closer to his friend, not really willing to let go of his friend.

“Because,” Jun began and moved next to Nino to put an arm around his shoulder, “it's better if Aiba is seen entering Sho's flat. Afterall, he is Sho's boyfriend.”

That made sense. A lot of sense, so nobody could argue against it, not even Nino. They arranged some food and an unused laptop for Nino and Aiba to pass time until Jun and Sho were done with their work. However, Nino decided to spend his last hours together with Aiba effectively and used him as a pillow while he started to play with his Nintendo.

* ~ * ~ *

Sho opened the door to his flat and tried to remember if he had put his laundry in the basket or not. It would be embarrassing if Aiba would see it lying around.

With the usual “sorry for intruding”, Aiba entered behind him. He looked somehow lost, so Sho quickly told him where he could put his coat and shoes before he handed him some guest slippers. 

Then, he quickly walked to his living room, sighing relieved when he saw no laundry lying around. He closed the door to his bedroom, somehow not wanting to show Aiba his most private room.

Slowly, Aiba had followed him, standing in the door, feeling insecure. Sho rushed towards him, remembering that it wasn't Aiba's fault that he was here now.

“I have a sofa-bed in my office room that you can use,” he explained and guided Aiba towards the said room. “I am sorry if it's a bit dusty. I don't have time for cleaning lately,” he apologised when he opened the door.

Aiba shook his head, telling Sho that he didn't mind at all and thanked him for allowing him to stay. Sho brought some linen and together they prepared Aiba's bed. After that, Sho showed Aiba the bathroom and the kitchen, telling him to make himself at home. Then, Sho excused himself as he was in serious need for a shower. In the bathroom, he suppressed the urge to lock himself in the bathroom. Aiba would surely not peep on him...

When Sho came back from the bathroom, a very nice smell was coming from the kitchen. Upon checking, Sho found Aiba preparing dinner from what he had found in Sho's fridge. Sho remembered that there hadn't been much inside though, but what Aiba was currently frying in the pan looked delicious.

“It's nearly done,” Aiba informed him as soon as he spotted Sho in the door. “It would be nice if you could set the table.”

Sho did as he was told and about 10 minutes later he was sitting on the table with Aiba. The dinner was delicious and Sho knew that if he had come home alone, he would have ended up with a bento from the nearby supermarket. Freshly cooked food was way better, though.

“Thanks for the food,” Sho said when they finished. When Aiba wanted to get up and clean the table, Sho stopped him. It didn't feel right to him to leave all the work to Aiba and that's what he told him.

“I usually do this. Nino isn't that keen on doing housework,” Aiba explained and together with Sho he carried the used plates into the kitchen. “However, he does take care of all the contracts we have like rent, electricity, phone and such. I am bad with all this stuff, so I am glad.”

Sho nodded. Aiba and Nino seemed to have a really good relationship. Afterall, they had been living together ever since they had moved out from their parents as Aiba had told him the other day. They even divided their tasks according to each other's talents and preferences...

Suddenly, a thought hit Sho and he nearly let the cup in his hand fall down. What if... ?

“Are you and Nino in a relationship?” Sho blurted out, making Aiba turn around to him. He looked at Sho surprised before he finally started to laugh.

“No, we're not,” he answered between his giggles and although Sho felt a bit embarrassed about his question, he felt relieved upon hearing this. It would have been a problem if Aiba was taken.

“I know we appear like a married couple,” Aiba began. “However, we are just friends that get along very well with each other. We don't mind body contact, but we have never kissed or done even more,” he explained. “You don't have to worry.”

Sho nodded, thankful for the explanation. It made things a lot easier – on a working base, of course.

As it was already pretty late, they didn't talk much and Aiba decided to use the bathroom as well. When he was gone, Sho sat down on his sofa, opening his laptop to catch up on some news. He had to be informed after all.

Suddenly, he heard the door to the bathroom open again and a few minutes later, Aiba appeared in the room. When Sho looked up, his breath stopped for a second. Aiba was only wearing some tight, black boxers.

“I am sorry, I forgot my pajamas,” Aiba explained and opened the door to his new room. When he bent down to rummage in his bag, Sho, who was still watching Aiba, had the perfect view on two round buttocks.

As if he was in trance, Sho watched Aiba finding the missing item which he showed him as he passed him before he vanished in the bathroom again. Sho blinked a few times. Had he just really seen a half naked Aiba? These tight boxers hadn't left much to his imagination about Aiba's body proportions...

When Aiba left the bathroom, he came to the living-room again, wishing Sho a good night who replied to his wishes, watching Aiba vanishing into his room.

When he heard the door to his office being closed, Sho leaned back. He seriously wasn't used to someone being in the flat with him, especially not with people that didn't mind to run around in underwear.

* ~ * ~ *

When Sho woke up in the morning, he didn't feel rested at all. He had dreamed about Aiba in underwear. However, his tight black boxers had turned into blue ones with penguins. Furthermore, Sho was suddenly wearing penguin boxers as well and he had been standing in the living room with Aiba, asking him to take off his boxers.

Still a bit shaken from his weird dream, Sho got up, ready for a cup of coffee.

When he opened his bedroom door, the smell of the said drink hit him. However, something else hit him as well – the realization that he wasn't alone in his flat anymore and after judging the noises coming from the kitchen, Aiba wasn't even by himself.

Groaning, Sho walked to the kitchen and saw his worst fears coming alive. Nana was sitting there, sipping on a cup of coffee while Aiba was holding a happily squealing Ren in his arms. Sho didn't approve at all that his sister was with Aiba. He was sure she had told him some quite embarrassing things from his childhood already.

When Ren spotted Sho, began to bounce in Aiba's arms while he made some undefinable noises that sounded happy nevertheless.

Aiba and Nana quickly discovered the cause of Ren's happiness as well.

“Good morning, my dear little brother,” Nana chirped and ignored the sullen looks her sibling was giving her. “You really got yourself a cute boyfriend. See, even Ren approves of him.”

While Aiba blushed slightly, Sho could indeed see Ren sucking overly satisfied on Aiba's naked lower arm. Usually, Ren was really sceptic about people he didn't know and even then, he rarely wanted to be held by them. He preferred Sho and of course his mum. Seeing him being completely fine with Aiba made Sho somehow proud.

“Anyway, what are you doing here?” Sho changed the topic as he joined his sister at the table. Aiba, holding Ren with one arm, poured some coffee into another mug and handed it to Sho as if he knew that this was what he needed.

“I just wanted to ask how you get along with your new boyfriend but seeing that he already moved into your flat, I guess you're doing fine,” she grinned.

Sho clicked his tongue and then he told his sister about the actual reason why Aiba was at his flat. Meanwhile, Aiba had been preparing Ren's milk that he was giving him now. Nana had been watching all of his actions with an approving look on her face.

“But you cannot shut Aiba in for the next weeks,” Nana said thoughtfully.

“I know,” Sho sighed and looked at Aiba. Jun had called Aiba's workplace yesterday to excuse him until things calmed down and although Aiba's boss had been really lenient about the whole incident, Sho knew that having Aiba stay inside wasn't the solution.

“We have to do something to satisfy the curiosity of the reporters and your voters,” Nana voiced her thoughts. “Let's ask Keiko if she has got a good idea.”

Sho agreed and Aiba nodded as well. Then, he looked at Sho.

“Actually, I have to go out today. It's really important,” he began. “Today is the rehearsal for our new stageplay,” he explained.

“Of course. I will ask Ohno to bring you there,” Sho replied and Aiba sighed relieved. He was fine with not going to work for now but he really wanted to attend their rehearsals, especially since he was having the main role.

* ~ * ~ *

“You're going to be fine,” Keiko assured Sho whose face had turned pale with a slight green shadow around his nose.

Sho was pretty sure that he was NOT going to be fine but it didn't make any sense to argue with Keiko as he had learned during the last days.

Nana had kept her promise and asked her friend what to do about the group of reporters that were still waiting in front of Aiba's house. Keiko told them that the only way to make them leave was to give answers to their questions. However, this should be done during a planned event where Aiba and Sho can be prepared beforehand.

And that's how Sho and Aiba ended up having to face more than fifty reporters within the next minutes during a press conference where they would answer some really private questions about their love life.

Sho's basic problem was, that he could only look back at one week of living together with Aiba. However, he was supposed to let it look like a year already, which, in his eyes, was impossible.

Of course, Keiko had trained them during the last few days. She came up with all possible questions a reporter might have and together with Jun and Nana they thought about reasonable answers.

Sho's head was full with information and details about a relationship he never had and he seriously hoped that he wouldn't mix up any of it.

Aiba, being an actor in his free time, had no problem remembering their answers but Sho usually used notes. However, it would look quite weird if he was talking about his relationship while looking at some cards...

Suddenly, he felt someone slipping his hand into his. Judging the size and the warmth of it, it was Aiba's hand. He had held it quite often lately because they had not only been trained to give proper answers, but also to look like a couple. According to Nana and Keiko this included holding hands and throwing each other shy and caring glances.

Aiba, again, had been able to act all lovey-dovey immediately. Sho was still worried about his own performance. He wasn't experienced in relationships with men after all. However, he was seriously glad to have Aiba on his side. He couldn't imagine doing this with any other man than this cheerful guy who always managed to help him relax somehow.

“Let's blast them with our love,” Aiba joked when he appeared next to Sho and threw him a smile that immediately made things look a lot brighter.

Before Sho could respond anything, Jun pushed them towards the entrance of the stage and suddenly, they were standing in front of this intimidating mass of reporters.

* ~ * ~ *

“Kanpai~”

The cold liquid was running down Sho's throat. A beer had been what he had needed the most right now after such a day.

“Careful, Sho, I need you in the office tomorrow morning,” Jun laughed upon watching his friend downing his drink.

“He really earned himself that beer though,” Keiko defended Sho. “He did a great job. I am sure tomorrow's papers are full with pictures of our lovestruck couple.”

Sho huffed but felt proud about Keiko's praise. Although he had been terribly worried about the press conference beforehand, it hadn't been that bad. Having Aiba at his side, throwing him smiles or fond glances, had made Sho feel a lot more secure in his role.

Apparently, Aiba was still sitting next to him, doing this. He seemed to be sincerely happy that they had been able to perform that well today and searched for Sho's eye contact once in a while. When they met, he smiled at Sho who couldn't help but return it.

Suddenly, Jun's phone was ringing and he immediately took the call. When he finished talking, he looked at the other's, beaming happily.

“That was Nino. Ohno just brought him back to your flat,” he explained, looking at Aiba. “He said that there is no reporter to be seen.”

Everybody cheered, relieved that their plan seemed to work.

“I still recommend you to stay at Sho's place for a couple more days so we can find out if it's safe for you to go back,” Jun went on and Aiba nodded in agreement. He didn't mind sharing the flat with Sho for a few more days.

* ~ * ~ *

When Sho entered his kitchen, Aiba greeted him with a cheerful good morning and a cup of coffee. It had become a routine for them to meet in the kitchen at the start of the day where Aiba was always waiting with a freshly brewed coffee for Sho.

Even before Sho fell asleep at night, he was already looking forward to meet Aiba in the morning, and to chat with him during breakfast, that he usually prepared for Sho and himself. Thinking about having to have breakfast alone, somehow made Sho's mood drop.

As if Aiba knew what was going on in Sho's head, he began to talk about it.

“Nino texted me this morning. He said that there are no reporters to be seen and asked me when I will come back,” Aiba told Sho, whose miso soup suddenly didn't taste that good anymore.

“I think it's safe to go back, don't you think so too?” Aiba asked.

“Hmm...,” Sho just replied, making Aiba raise his eyebrows.

“You think it's still to early to go back?” he wanted to know.

Sho shook his head.

“That's not it,” he started. “For now, I think it's safe.” Aiba's face lit up. “However, I fear that soon the reporters won't be satisfied with our answers from the press conference anymore. They have probably come up with new ones or are simply looking for a scandal, so they will turn up again in front of your flat, sooner or later,” Sho voiced his thoughts.

Aiba pressed his lips together, but nodded.

“That makes sense,” he sighed. “Nino will have to wait for a bit longer then...”

Upon hearing the name of Aiba's flatmate, another thought crossed Sho's mind.

“Furthermore, it might give a really wrong impression if the reporters will find out that you are living together with another man, they will definitely make sure people will misunderstand this,” Sho said.

“It is indeed dangerous,” Aiba agreed. “But I cannot move to another flat. Right now, I don't have the money for that...,” he went on, throwing a shy grin at Sho.

A sudden idea crossed Sho's mind and before the logical part of his brain could figure out if it was a good one or a bad one, he heard himself telling Aiba about it.

“How about you move in with me?” Sho asked.

Aiba just simply blinked a few times.

“The campaign will still go on for another two months. You can stay here during that time and of course you can bring more of your personal belongings. I can make more space for you in the office,” Sho offered, still not really sure what he was talking about.

Aiba's face suddenly lit up and he stood up to hug Sho.

“Thank you so much, Sho-chan,” he cheered. “I will go get my stuff after breakfast,” Aiba decided. “And I will have to make sure Nino will be okay by himself,” he went on, his arms still around Sho's shoulders.

Usually, Sho would feel the urge to shake off Aiba's arms, but today he forgot about that and felt deeply content instead. He had just made sure that Aiba would stay at his flat for another two months. Of course, he had only secured to avoid any scandal but Sho was relived that Aiba had accepted his offer that quickly.

* ~ * ~ *

“You're going to live with Sho?” Nino asked in disbelief.

Aiba nodded while he threw another pair of jeans into his bag.

“You're going to leave me alone?” Nino went on questioning his friend.

Again, Aiba just nodded and began to stuff about twenty pair of socks in the bag.

“And you're fine with leaving me alone?” Nino began to whine.

This time, Aiba stopped and turned around to scoop his friend into his arms.

“I am not fine with leaving you. I am really sad about this,” Aiba began but was interrupted by Nino's huff.

“Sure. That's why you have been grinning and humming cheerful melodies ever since you entered that flat,” he said ironically, making sure Aiba noticed that he didn't believe him.

“Look, Kazu, I already explained it to you. If anybody finds out that I am living with you, it might cause a scandal for Sho,” Aiba told Nino, his voice soft.

“But that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to move in with HIM,” Nino threw in.

“Don't you think it makes more sense if I am living with my boyfriend?” Aiba asked.

“He is NOT your boyfriend,” Nino nearly screamed at his friend who who was still packing stuff into his already jammed bag. “Seriously, Aiba-shi, you have to make sure that you separate your work from your feelings properly,” Nino told him, his voice worried.

“I am doing it properly,” Aiba gave back and Nino only clicked his tongue.

“Seriously,” Aiba defended himself. “Otherwise I would have already told you that I saw Sho naked under the shower a few days ago when I accidentally entered the bathroom. And I would tell you that his buttocks are really firm and his shoulders are really muscular, although a bit sloping, but that just gives them a special touch,” he went on reasoning.

Nino sighed deeply.

“I just don't want you to get too mixed up in this, maybe even getting hurt in the end,” he said then and allowed Aiba to hug him again.

“I know, Kazu, I appreciate your worries a lot. I will make sure to keep my feelings under control,” Aiba promised. “I am sorry for leaving you alone for such a long time,” he went on, tightening his embrace to let Nino feel that he was indeed feeling like that but furthermore, he wanted to make sure that Nino wasn't able to look into his eyes because Nino was always able to tell when Aiba was not telling the truth – and Aiba was not sure if he would be able to keep his promise about not mixing work with private feelings.

“I'll be fine. Jun promised to come by every other day and cook dinner for me. I think he feels a bit guilty,” Nino joked and finally got out of Aiba's embrace.

“This makes me feel a bit more relaxed about leaving you alone,” Aiba replied.

“I am not a baby, you know,” Nino gave back, hitting Aiba softly on his head.

“No, but you're like my little brother and I have to take care of you,” Aiba gave back. Nino just murmured something and quickly left the room to avoid Aiba seeing how happy those words had just made him.

* ~ * ~ *

“Aiba, are you ready?” Sho asked while he was waiting in the entrance for his partner. They were already quite late and Sho really wanted to avoid being the last one to arrive to the current mayor's birthday party.

“Sorry,” Aiba apologised when he finally left the bathroom, grabbing his bag and getting into his shoes. “It's just that my hair doesn't want to sit right today. Don't you think it looks weird?” he asked Sho who looked at Aiba from head to toe.

“You look great,” Sho simply stated, making Aiba lowering his gaze shyly while a quick smile danced around his lips.

Sho wasn't lying. Aiba was looking amazingly good in that black suit. Although he had more of a slender body which caused Sho to worry if Aiba shouldn't be eating more, the jacket made him look slightly broader around his shoulders while it accentuated his waist nicely as well. The trousers sat very tight around his butt, leaving not much to imagination – which Sho didn't need anyway as Aiba was walking around in underwear on a daily basis.

“Are you staring at my butt?” Aiba suddenly asked, throwing Sho an inquiring look.

“No!” Sho lied and turned deep red.

“I don't mind that though,” Aiba laughed and went over to Sho. “My hair is really okay like that?” he asked then, still worried about it.

Sho tried to find Aiba's cause of worry but his partner's hair looked perfectly fine to him.

“It's perfect,” he reassured Aiba who looked into the mirror again. “Also, if there is one little strand of hair in the wrong place, it's not such a big problem...,” Sho went on, but Aiba looked at him with a shocked expression.

“Of course this will be a problem!” he exclaimed. “We are invited to the mayor's birthday party. You might become his successor, so I am sure he will look at you closely today. Since I am your boyfriend, I am also responsible for making a good impression on the mayor because I don't want him to think bad of you,” Aiba went on and Sho felt the area around his heart getting warmer and fuzzier.

“You're the most perfect boyfriend one can wish for,” he assured Aiba who started to smile happily. “However, we will both make a really bad impression on the mayor if we do not arrive on time,” he reminded him and Aiba hurried to get into his shoes and coat.

Ohno was waiting downstairs and opened the car's door for Sho and Aiba before he took his place on the driver's seat.

“We should hurry,” he announced and Sho braced himself for a quite adventurous drive. Usually, Ohno was a calm driver, not taking any risk like passing traffic lights when the light was already yellow. However, when it was needed, he would drive on the verge of overstepping all known traffic rules.

While Sho forced himself not to look outside, his thoughts went to the man sitting next to him. His chest was still warm and light from Aiba's words and the sweetness behind them.

The last weeks had been a roller coaster but lately, Sho didn't mind having Aiba by his side at all. He had even realised that he felt lonely when Aiba wasn't there which only happened when he was either at the theatre practising for his stage play or together with Nino who seemed to be missing his flat mate quite a lot.

Still, Sho preferred to have Aiba with him wherever he was because Aiba had this reassuring aura around him. Sho could relax whenever he felt Aiba close and was able to concentrate on his speeches or answers during an interview.

Also, people liked Aiba a lot. He was always friendly, had a big heart and was always able to see the bright side of things. Therefore, people tried to be close to him which made Sho sometimes even a bit jealous because Aiba was showering everyone with affection and Sho was sure their plan had been that HE got showered with Aiba's love and not anyone else.

“We've arrived!” Ohno announced and when Sho looked up he could indeed see the huge entrance gate of the mayor's residence right in front of them.

When he checked the time, Sho saw that it had only taken them around fifteen minutes. Usually, you would need around half an hour to get to the mayor. Sho was glad that he had been thinking about Aiba and not paying attention to Ohno's driving.

“I will be waiting for you,” the said driver explained when he stopped the car to let Sho and Aiba get out in front of the door. “Have a nice evening!”

Sho and Aiba thanked Ohno for bringing them to the mayor's residence in time before they nodded to each other and entered.

The party had only just started as they noted relieved. Sho was immediately spotted by the mayor who made his way towards him.

“Sakurai-san, I am glad you could make it although you must be very busy,” he greeted Sho. “And you brought your lovely Aiba-san with you,” he smiled then and pulled both of them into a friendly embrace.

A bit shocked over that very personal greeting, Sho forgot to give his birthday greetings but Aiba immediately rescued him, showering the mayor with wishes and handing him his present and finally, Sho voiced his birthday message as well.

The mayor chatted with both of them for some minutes before he excused himself to greet some other guests.

Sho had already spotted Jun in the mass of people and was making his way towards him, when Aiba suddenly held him back.

“Isn't that Ikuta?” he asked and Sho looked into the direction he was pointing. Indeed, his opponent was happily chewing some appetizers he got himself from the buffet. Sho grinned. After greeting Jun the buffet had been his next goal too. It seemed that he and Ikuta shared a common interest in food.

“Yeah, of course he's invited too. He might become the mayor's successor too, after all,” Sho answered Aiba's question and walked on into Jun's direction.

“He won't. It'll be you,” Aiba gave back and nodded determined. Sho smiled at his partner, thankful for the trust he put into him.

Jun greeted them cheerfully. He was in a good mood because according to a survey taken by women at all ages, Sho was lying ahead of Ikuta, if only with a few more votes.

“You can go and tell him,” Jun snickered and Sho wondered how his seriously lovely friend could turn into such a beast when it came to work.

“I won't,” Sho therefore decided. “He will probably know it by himself already,” he presumed. “However, I will get myself some food now”, Sho announced then and went off to the buffet.

The food looked delicious and Sho had a really hard time deciding on what to take first.

“The salmon sandwiches are really tasty,” a voice behind him suddenly said. Sho turned around and looked into the grinning face of his opponent. His plate was already empty again and he seemed to be on the hunt for a refill.

“Thanks,” Sho smiled and grabbed two of them. “I like salmon.”

Ikuta himself put at least four of the sandwiches on his plate before he searched for more food.

“Congratulations on your cute boyfriend,” he suddenly said and Sho's smile froze. “He's an outstanding man and well received by the people,” Ikuta went on.

“And he's even more well received by ME!” Sho made sure to lay some emphasize on the last word.

“I am sure of that,” Ikuta laughed and winked at his opponent. “Anyway, I am glad that you manage to keep the election campaign interesting. I was worried that I might be too far ahead for my opponent to catch up but you keep this from getting boring,” he said.

“I'm having fun as well,” Sho admitted. It was the truth. The election campaign WAS fun although he could never rest and had to come up with ideas how to compete with Ikuta. Still, nothing would have been worse to be either too popular or too unpopular.

Ikuta quickly snatched two glasses of champaign from one of the waiter's tablets, handing one to Sho.

“To another interesting three weeks and a fair result,” he said and raised his glass.

Sho clinked his glass with Ikuta's and both emptied their glass in one go (you couldn't show any weakness in front of your opponent after all).

They nodded at each other before they parted ways again. Sho felt the campaign bubbling in his stomach but even more he felt thankful that his opponent was Ikuta – a really likeable and interesting man.

When Sho arrived at their table again, Jun immediately started to interrogate him.

“What were you talking about?”, he wanted to know.

“Just about the election campaign,” Sho shrugged but he saw that Jun wasn't really satisfied with this answer. However, Aiba rescued him – as so often these days.

“Oh, they have salmon sandwiches?!” he exclaimed after a look at Sho's plate.

“Do you want one?” Sho offered, but Aiba shook his head.

“No, I know how much you like them. I will get some by myself,” he explained and stood up to make his way to the buffet.

Jun looked at Sho with a raised eyebrow.

“You are willing to share your FOOD with Aiba?!” he asked then, not able to believe what has just happened.

Sho looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Sure, why not,” he gave back.

“WHY NOT?” Jun shouted and Sho motioned him turn his volume down. “You never shared your food with me. When it comes to food you're like a mother to her babies – don't let anyone touch it, not even your best friend,” Jun pouted.

“You're exaggerating,” Sho waved him off.

“I am not,” Jun gave back and reached for one of the sandwiches. However, his hand was immediately slapped away by Sho.

“See!!!”

“It's just because I like salmon sandwiches a lot,” Sho defended himself.

“Ah, yeah! But then you also like doughnuts and french fries and pizza a lot. Not to forget chocolate cake and sushi and...”

Jun's voice suddenly became just a simply background noise to Sho when his eyes fell on a scene at the buffet.

Ikuta, who was at the buffet again, was chatting with Aiba. Right now, he was reaching for something on the buffet that was behind Aiba which ended in quite lot of body contact between the two.

“... and you are not listening,” Jun's voice had become louder and therefore managed to make its way into Sho's brain again.

When Sho didn't react, Jun tried to find the cause for Sho's mental absence.

“What are you looking at anyway?” he asked and checked his surroundings. “Ah, Aiba-chan is talking to Ikuta...,” he said.

“Don't you think they're too close?” Sho suddenly asked.

Jun squinted his eyes to have a better look.

“No, I think they keep that kind of distance between them that you have when you just got to know each other,” Jun answered truthfully.

Sho kept his eyes glued to the two but now that Ikuta had finally loaded his plate full again he was indeed putting a proper distance between himself and Aiba.

“But don't you think Ikuta is smiling too much at Aiba?” Sho asked again and Jun chuckled.

“I guess it's because Aiba is throwing his usual sunshine smile at him,” he explained and when Sho looked at his partner, he saw Aiba indeed beaming like the sun itself.

“Still...,” Sho began, but Jun interrupted him.

“Sho-chan, are you jealous?” he asked, grinning like crazy.

Sho finally turned around to Jun.

“What?! No!” he quickly denied the obvious fact. “But what will people think if they see the two of them smiling at each other like that. Aiba is MY boyfriend after all,” Sho began to explain.

“They will simply think that although they are not on the same side they get along quite well which is actually a really nice thing,” Jun replied, still smiling amused at his best friend.

Sho just huffed and decided to keep watching Aiba and Ikuta but when he looked at the buffet again, Ikuta was gone and Aiba seemed to be satisfied with all the food on his plate, making his way back to them.

“Ikuta is a really nice guy,” Aiba stated when he sat down at the table again.

“Ah, yeah?!” Sho grumbled, his lips pressed together to a thin line.

“I mean, if he wouldn't be your opponent he would be a really nice guy,” Aiba quickly tried to rescue the situation.

“Hmm...,” Sho just hummed and Jun was shaking from the laughter he was trying to suppress.

“Still, I am glad to be at YOUR side in this campaign. You're cuter,” Aiba just stated and finally bit into his salmon sandwich.

Upon hearing Aiba's words, Sho's face lit up like the sun and he watched Aiba chewing happily on his sandwich with a soft look on his face.

Jun watched the scene in front of him closely. Due to the stress at work he hadn't realised how much closer Sho and Aiba had become. It was a good thing regarding Sho's faked relationship and Jun was also happy for his friend who seemed to have arranged himself with that situation he had thrown him in pretty well. However, Jun hoped that things wouldn't become more complicated from now on...

* ~ * ~ *

“We've arrived,” Ohno announced.

Sho thanked him and got out of the car. The theatre wasn't as big as the ones Sho usually went to, but it had some new paint on the outside and looked very appealing.

Many people were already gathering in front of the entrance, chatting with each other and exchanging expectations of the play. Sho spotted Keiko and Nana and wanted to make his way towards them, when he felt someone holding him back.

“I think you should take this with you,” Ohno said and handed him a huge bouquet of flowers.

Sho smiled at his driver, thankfully. Of course, he had completely forgotten about this. However, today was the premier of Aiba's stage play in which he had one of the main roles and this required a bouquet for sure.

“Thank you,” Sho said and both walked towards Keiko and Nana. Aiba had insisted that Ohno would be watching his stage play as well and Sho had supported this idea.

They greeted the two women who told them that Jun and Nino had already entered, so they made their way inside as well.

Keiko bought a brochure of the stage play as she was going to write about it. She told them that this would be a nice, non-political story that would people still remind of Sho, a perfect article just one week before the election.

When they finally reached their seats they were greeted by Jun and Nino. However, when Nino looked at Sho with quite a cold look, Sho understood this as confirmation of the impression he had gotten over the past weeks – Nino didn't like Sho. Still, Sho had no idea what he had done wrong and he was tempted to ask Nino.

Before he could do so though, the lights were turned off and the stage light up. Sho quickly sat down and postponed his conversation with Nino. He wanted to concentrate fully on Aiba right now.

* ~ * ~ *

The stage play was amazing and Sho couldn't take his eyes off of Aiba. He looked really cute with his long hair and the Victorian dress he was wearing but Sho was more impressed with his acting.

He knew that Aiba was quite a good actor. After all he had managed to make people believe that they were in a relationship. However, seeing him on the stage, deeply immersed in the character he was portraying let him appear in a different light – one that let Sho only see Aiba.

The audience seemed to think like Sho and Aiba earned huge applause at the end of the play. Sho was proud that it was HIS boyfriend who was rewarded like that for his work.

It took quite some time until Aiba could leave his dressing room. He had to take off the make-up and wig after all. However, as soon as he appeared at the back door of the theatre, Sho made sure he was the first one to congratulate him on his performance. He handed Aiba the bouquet who was genuinely happy about it.

The little group decided to celebrate Aiba's success at a little bar. After two or three bears Nino even stopped throwing Sho angry looks and began to tell some embarrassing stories from Aiba's and his high school time.

After the fourth glass of beer Sho also realised that he might have had one too much, but Aiba was also giggling non-stop, his cheeks pink, a sign that he had drunken slightly too much as well.

Half an hour later, Nino was sleeping soundly and Jun promised Aiba to bring him home. Nana had to go home as well. Ren was a very reliable alarm clock that “set off” every morning at five.

Keiko excused herself as well as she had to write an article about the amazing Aiba acting the role as a woman perfectly.

Hence, Aiba and Sho decided to call it a day as well and since they had sobered up a bit, walked to the car. Ohno opened the door for them and took his place at the driver's seat. While he drove them through the quite empty streets of Tokyo at night, Sho just had to praise Aiba again.

“Your performance today was really splendid,” he said and earned himself a soft smile. “You looked so cute with your wig and that dress.”

The smile disappeared from Aiba's face.

“I know you'd prefer me as a woman...,” he whispered, his voice trailing off.

Shocked, Sho gasped and after some seconds he took Aiba's hand, making the other face him.

“Actually, I prefer you the way you are,” Sho said and let his thumb run over Aiba's soft skin.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the final realization that Sho really didn't mind Aiba's gender anymore, but these words simply spilled out of Sho and after voicing them, he didn't feel any doubts.

“Really?” Aiba asked, not being able to believe what he just had heard.

“Really!” Sho assured him.

Sho didn't let go of Aiba's hand until they finally stopped in front of his apartment. They hadn't spoken but that simple connection though their hands had made all words unnecessary.

Aiba got out first and Sho thanked Ohno for accompanying them this evening. Ohno assured him that he had fun and that he was thankful to have been able to spend time with all of them.

“Good night, Sakurai-san,” he said.

Before Sho got out of the car, Ohno turned around to him once more.

“And, Sakurai-san, sometimes you just need to try something new.”

With this, he faced the street again, waited until a pretty confused Sho left the car and drove off into the night.

“Try something new...,” Sho murmured and tried to grasp what Ohno wanted to tell him.

“What are you saying?” Aiba asked, already holding the door open for Sho.

Seeing Aiba standing there, his hair slightly tousled from the soft wind that was blowing, looking at Sho expectantly, but with a warm smile on his face, Sho finally understood what Ohno wanted to tell him.

“I said, let's go inside already,” Sho lied and quickly closed the gap between himself and Aiba.

* ~ * ~ *

“Ah~, what a day,” Aiba sighed and sat down next to Sho on the sofa. He had just taken a shower to wash away the last remains of his hairspray and make-up away.

“I enjoyed this evening a lot,” Sho let him know. “It was a nice distraction from work,” he added.

Aiba patted Sho's shoulder. “Yeah, this final week must be really busy for you,” he said, his voice full of sympathy.

Sho let out a sigh before he nodded. He was actually looking forward to the end of the election campaign. It had been fun but he was pretty worn out by now and he finally wanted to know what the future was holding in store for him.

“I will try my best to make home a place for you to rest,” Aiba promised and his face was determined.

That warm, fuzzy feeling, that lately captured Sho's heart when Aiba said such things, warmed his chest again and he smiled at his partner.

“As long as you are there, I can rest anywhere,” Sho said and a soft smile appeared on Aiba's face.

“Hearing this makes me very happy,” Aiba whispered.

“I'm glad,” Sho exhaled. “You are doing so much for me so I never know what to give back, but knowing that you are happy to have me by your side, makes me really relieved,” he explained.

“I don't mind being with you,” Aiba replied, looking in no special direction.

Sho felt his heart beating a lot faster than usual upon hearing Aiba's words. He actually felt the same. Although he couldn't imagine having a man around him, hugging him, being close to him, kissing him in front of the cameras some weeks ago, it became quite natural to him and he even had troubles to keep himself from hugging Aiba when they weren't in public.

_Try something new..._

Ohno's words were still stuck in Sho's head and they were probably the final push Sho needed because he leaned over to Aiba and, as so often for the cameras, he caught Aiba's soft lips with his own, feeling their warmth and tasting their sweetness.

Aiba didn't back off, he rather turned his body more to the side to give Sho better access who immediately took the chance and pulled Aiba closer to him.

Slowly, Aiba opened his lips and soon he could feel Sho's tongue slipping into his mouth, carefully exploring what Aiba was offering him.

Aiba didn't push Sho and gave him the time he needed but soon both of them were panting as their kisses had become more intense and deep.

Sho's hands were already roaming over Aiba's upper body that was only covered with a thin shirt. He could feel Aiba's body heat through it but decided that the cloth was in the way. Therefore, he reached for the hem of Aiba's shirt.

Suddenly, Aiba broke the kiss and reached for Sho's hands.

“Sho, are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, looking at the politician, worriedly.

Sho simply nodded, not knowing where he'd get himself into but he was willing to try.

“You know it's not working the same way as with a woman,” Aiba reminded him and Sho couldn't stop his laughter.

“I know,” he smiled. “So I need you to teach me,” he asked Aiba, whose face finally stopped looking worried.

“Leave it to me,” Aiba replied and finally sounded like his usual self again. “However, may I suggest that we move things into the bedroom?!”

Sho agreed and therefore they changed rooms, Aiba quickly got some necessary “equipment” from his room before joining Sho who had switched on the lamp on his night stand, bathing the room in a soft, dim light.

Aiba let the lube and condoms fall on the bed before he turned around to Sho. Bravely, be grabbed the hem of his shirt by himself and pulled it over his head. He watched Sho's reaction closely, but when the other got out of his own shirt, Aiba felt utterly relieved.

Quickly, they closed the gap between them and while feeling each other's soft skin, they resumed kissing. Finally, Aiba allowed himself to touch Sho as well, letting his hands glide over his partner's back, feeling the hard muscles underneath the warm skin.

While Aiba had been busy exploring Sho's upper body with his hands, the other man had begun to kiss his way to Aiba's neck and was sucking softly on it, not caring if marks would appear or not.

The junction from his neck to his shoulders was one of Aiba's soft spots, so he let out a moan that only seemed to fire Sho up.

Sho wanted to hear more of those sweet sounds that were coming from Aiba and he could only think of one way to cause them.

He reached for Aiba's waistband and popped the button open. Finally, he could touch the firm buttocks that had been swayed in front of his eyes quite a lot these past weeks when Aiba was walking through the flat in underwear again.

Kneading the soft flesh, Sho could feel some movement between Aiba's legs. His partner's panting had become quite heavy and Aiba was digging his fingers strongly into Sho's shoulders. He must really enjoy himself and Sho felt proud that he was doing that great on his first try.

“Sho... bed...,” Aiba whispered and a few seconds later, both of them were lying on the smooth sheets.

Aiba had made sure that he landed on top of Sho who still had his hands in Aiba's pants. They went on sharing deep, slow kisses when Aiba suddenly started to move his hips. His own hardness rubbed against Sho, who, surprised about the sudden friction, let out a moan.

Aiba grinned and continued his movement while he began to kiss his way over Sho's cheek to his neck and onwards to his collarbones. Sucking on the soft skin, Aiba felt Sho getting hard as well and had to suppress a relieved sigh. It would have been quite troublesome if Sho wouldn't have been able to get it up.

Excited about his little victory, Aiba trailed his way downwards, pecking Sho's nipples and abs teasingly before he finally reached the waistband of Sho's trousers. Not minding the cloth, Aiba mouthed the hard bulge and could hear Sho sucking in some air.

Aiba continued and also used one of his hands to add some friction. Sho began to rock his hips upwards to meet Aiba's mouth and hand. He seemed to be quite desperate as he reached for his trousers to push them down.

Not wanting to get in the way of Sho's enthusiasm, Aiba helped him to get rid of his trousers and pulled the underwear down as well. Now he was eye to eye with Sho's quite impressive length that was shining at the tip. Not being able to hold himself back any longer, Aiba bent down and took Sho into his mouth.

Sho shuddered and dug his nails into his bedsheet when he was suddenly surrounded by Aiba's warmth. His partner's tongue began teasing his tip while Aiba's hand reached for Sho's shaft, softly massaging it.

When Aiba licked at the slit on Sho's tip, he couldn't hold his moans back. Bucking his hips slightly up, Sho lost himself in Aiba's ministrations.

Sho had received several blowjobs before but it seemed as if Aiba knew exactly what felt good. His tongue was dancing around Sho's member, teasing and licking at him, making him loose control over his voice that repeated Aiba's name over and over again.

Aiba had begun to softly massage Sho's balls which the other one seemed to like. However, Aiba's aim was something else. While he continued to suck on Sho's member, Aiba smeared a tiny drop of lube on his fingers, rubbing them together to make it warmer.

Suddenly, Sho felt something warm and wet at his entrance. He immediately tensed up and Aiba let him slip out of his mouth. His other hand rubbed assuringly over Sho's stomach when he looked up to the politician.

“Trust me, Sho-chan,” Aiba whispered and took Sho's member in his hand. With a few strong strokes, he got him hard again.

Again, Sho felt Aiba's finger pushing softly against his hole. It took him quite some willpower to not move away, but Aiba asked him to trust him. Sho was sure that Aiba would never hurt him, so he tried to keep his feelings under control and concentrated on Aiba's long fingers that were wrapped around his length.

Aiba took his time, indeed, but finally, he had his finger inside of Sho. He was looking for that little bundle of nerves that would make Sho see stars.

In order to distract Sho, Aiba had begun to suck on his balls while his hand never stopped stroking him. He seemed to be quite successful because Sho had relaxed around his finger, making it easier for him to move in and out.

Aiba pushed slowly deeper and when Sho arched his back, his moan deep and dark, Aiba sighed relieved, knowing he had finally found the right spot. From now on he knew that Sho would be feeling very good and he hoped that it would make him open to the next step.

He continues to rub over the new found spot, enjoying Sho's very audible ecstasy.

“Feels... so good,” Sho breathed and tried to reach for Aiba who got the hint and interlaced the fingers of his free hand with Sho's.

Driven by the force to satisfy Sho completely, Aiba took Sho into his mouth again and let his tongue run over the very wet tip. He crooked his finger and added a bit more pressure while his other hand held Sho's hand tight.

Overwhelmed by the immense stimulation, Sho resumed moaning, his free hand disappearing in Aiba's hair. He had closed his eyes and slowly, he could see white stars appearing. He was close to his high and he was determined to ride through it.

The flick of Aiba's tongue against his sensitive tip was what finally caused Sho to climax and while he emptied himself into Aiba's mouth, he couldn't help but held onto Aiba so tightly that it must hurt the other man.

However, Aiba didn't show any sign of pain and made sure to help Sho riding out his orgasm. When he felt his partner slowly coming down from his high, he carefully retrieved his finger since Sho was still loose which would change as soon as he calmed down.

After swallowing the liquid in his mouth, Aiba set Sho's member free again. Without breaking their grip, he crawled up to be face to face with Sho who still had his eyes closed and was trying to regulate his breathing again.

Aiba kissed Sho softly on his forehead and brushed the sweaty strands of hair away. Then, he positioned himself next to Sho, their connected hands lying on top of Sho's chest.

When Sho finally opened his eyes, he looked straight at Aiba who smiled at him shyly.

“That was nice,” Sho whispered, causing Aiba to let out a tiny chuckle. Then, Sho looked down on Aiba, who was still wearing his trousers that still showed a quite remarkable bulge.

“What about you?” Sho asked, but Aiba shook his head.

“We can take care of this another time,” Aiba waved it off and began to draw little circles on Sho's chest.

“No!” Sho said determined. “I want to go all the way tonight.”

Aiba looked at Sho, taking in the pouty lips that seemed to tell him that no backtalk would be accepted. Still, he wanted to make sure.

“Really?” he asked therefore, but Sho nodded immediately.

“Yes!” Then, he turned a bit pink around his cheeks. “But maybe we can switch positions?” he asked, his voice only an embarrassed whisper.

Aiba had to suppress another chuckle seeing Sho that shy but he didn't mind letting Sho be on top. He was actually quite excited by the idea to feel him inside soon.

“Sure,” he let Sho know who seemed to be really relieved. In any way, Aiba would have never forced himself into Sho today. It would be too much for someone who just opened up to the idea of sleeping with a man. He was already proud that Sho had managed to enjoy the intrusion of his fingers that much.

“I might make some mistakes though,” Sho warned Aiba but the other one just shook his head.

“There is no right or wrong way to do it, Sho-chan. Just go ahead with your feelings and if I don't like it, I'll let you know immediately,” Aiba assured him.

Hearing this, Sho seemed to relax and propped himself up on his elbow.

“Let's get you out of your remaining clothes then,” he announced and Aiba smiled upon Sho's enthusiasm.

A few minutes later, Aiba was finally naked. Sho had laid him onto the sheets and was towering him now. Their hips were meeting each other while Sho was busy stroking over Aiba's birthmark.

“You're really pretty,” Sho told him and Aiba blushed. His heart was dancing happily upon Sho's words though as he had never expected to hear them. Seriously, today had surprised him a lot. Although Aiba had realised that Sho was getting close to him, he hadn't thought that he would actually agree to sleep with him, Aiba was a man after all.

Sho shifted his weight a little and therefore added some pressure on Aiba's member who groaned upon the sensation. This reminded Sho of Aiba's waiting erection and he finally decided to take care of it.

He sat on his heels and after a last look on Aiba lying naked in his bed with his beautiful slender figure, Sho took Aiba into his hands carefully. It was his first time to touch a man's private part other than himself. However, it felt strangely familiar to him.

Slowly, he began to move his hand up and down, watching Aiba closely. His partner was biting his lips while his eyes were locked with Sho's.

The politician grinned sheepishly before he focussed his eyes on Aiba's member again. A tiny drop of pre-cum had formed on Aiba's tip and Sho began to wonder how it might taste.

When he bent down to catch the drop with his tongue, Aiba gave a strangled noise. He put his hands on Sho's (sloping, but sexy) shoulders to show him that it wasn't necessary to return the favour from before, but Sho's lips had already met his sensitive tip.

Sho had obviously learned from Aiba because he was licking and sucking like a pro, turning Aiba into a bundle of groans and moans quite quickly. When Sho let Aiba slip out of his warm mouth, the other one voiced his frustration but then he saw Sho taking the bottle of lube.

He pressed a quite generous amount onto his fingers that caused Aiba to grin, but he managed to keep quiet. He didn't want to irritate Sho with any remark and figured it would be better to let Sho go this way by himself.

With a glance at Aiba, who nodded confidently at him, Sho circled his finger around Aiba's twitching hole and pushed in. Aiba helped him by relaxing his muscles and so he slipped inside quite easily.

Surprised about how easy it had been, Sho stilled his hand and watched how his finger had disappeared. Aiba, not really in the mood for waiting any longer, urged his hips, pulling Sho out of his daze.

“Grab... my dick,” Aiba breathed and Sho followed the order quickly. He stroked the hard flesh, but his finger, moving in and out of his partner fascinated him way more than he had thought. Just when he began to wonder if he should add another finger, Aiba told him to do so.

Pushing slowly, his second finger found its way inside and Aiba moaned again before he instructed Sho to scissor his fingers.

Carefully, to not hurt him, Sho stretched Aiba. He decided that he should distract him from the, as he assumed, weird actions and so he added a twist to his hand that was still taking care of Aiba's hard length.

However, he was soon stopped by him.

“I'll come if you continue like this,” Aiba admitted. “But I want to come when you're inside me,” he added then and Sho blushed slightly. “I think you can add a third finger now.”

Sho did as he was told and let his hand just ghost over Aiba's member. He worked Aiba open until his fingers could enter smoothly.

Aiba handed him the condom and hissed when Sho retreated his fingers. He felt empty and he wanted to be filled by Sho again quickly, preferably by his impressive length, that didn't seem to mind waking up once more this evening.

While Sho coated his condom with another huge amount of lube, Aiba pushed a pillow under his hips. He wanted to make it as easy for Sho as possible to enter him. Also, although he usually preferred to ride his partner, he felt like lying under Sho this night. Somehow, he wanted to feel Sho all around and inside him.

“I'll be starting now,” Sho announced and positioned himself. Then, he leaned forward, his arms right and left to Aiba's head and kissed him. Aiba opened his mouth and let Sho inside. At the same moment, the politician pushed his hips forward and his member entered Aiba in a swift, but careful movement.

Sho continued the kiss while he tried to calm down. Aiba was clamping around his member, feeling all hot and tight and Sho had to take care not to come immediately. He had never imagined that being inside a man could feel that good.

After a few seconds of calming himself down, Sho broke the kiss, leaving Aiba breathless.

“Move!” his partner ordered him and Sho began to retreat his hips only to push them forwards the next second.

While keeping their eyes locked, they quickly found a rhythm that suited both and soon they were panting, their names on each other's lips.

Sho had set a quick pace, his hips snapping forward powerfully while he drowned in the sensation Aiba's tight ring of muscles was creating. The tightness caused him to come closer to his climax faster than he actually wanted, but soon, he felt his body starting to tingle, an unmistakeable sign that he was close to his orgasm.

Sho watched Aiba closely who was releasing loud moans. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy. He interpreted these signs as Aiba being close to his orgasm as well and decided to allow himself to come.

Putting his head into the crook of Aiba's neck and shoulder, Sho sped up once more. A second time this evening he felt the sensation capturing his body in a very strong wave. However, also Aiba seemed to be hit by an intense pleasure as he was arching his back, which caused him to tighten around Sho a bit more.

While Sho's moans were muffled by his partner's neck, Aiba's voice resounded in the room. The way he just moaned Sho's name caused the other one to finally release himself.

Aiba followed suit, shooting his load between their bodies but none of them minded as they were riding out their orgasm.

When Sho's vision became clear again, he let himself fall completely onto Aiba who winced under the weight but immediately wrapped his arms around Sho's broad back.

They stayed like that for some minutes until their heartbeat had regulated again.

Sho had slipped out of Aiba sometime between the soft kisses they had just shared to calm down and was slowly feeling awkward, having that wet condom sticking to his member.

Reluctantly, he got out of Aiba's embrace and cleaned himself first and then devoted himself fully to Aiba who simply enjoyed Sho's tender touches.

After Sho had gotten rid of the tissues, he crawled into his bed again, reaching for the blanket that he found next to the bed.

He pulled it over Aiba and himself and took the other man into his arms again.

“Thanks for showing me how good this can feel,” he whispered into Aiba's ear who smiled softly.

“Anytime again,” Aiba gave back and Sho chuckled. He might come back to this offer soon, he thought.

Then, he let Aiba snuggle against his chest and watched him trailing off into his dreamland. Holding his partner close, Sho felt his eyes flutter as well and soon, he had followed Aiba.

* ~ * ~ *

When Sho woke up, he was alone in his bed. The images of last evening came floating into his mind, the sight of naked Aiba moaning underneath him made Sho feel very satisfied that morning. However, where was his partner?

Sho climbed out of bed. Maybe Aiba was, as usual, making coffee in the kitchen.

Sho found a shirt and some underwear and put it on before he left the bedroom. However, Aiba was not in the kitchen as Sho had expected, but in the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, speaking to someone on the phone.

“Yeah, for his first time he was alright, but I don't know if I want to do it with him again,” Aiba said and Sho's blood froze in his veins.

“But if I stop working with him we won't get any money,” Aiba continued.

Sho couldn't believe what he had just heard. Aiba was only working together with him because of the money. Last night also had been only a job to Aiba and nothing else.

His whole body felt like ice and especially his chest hurt. To him it had felt as if Aiba had fun last night too. Especially afterwards when Aiba had snuggled against him instead of going back into his own room, Sho had been sure that Aiba liked to be with him.

However, now all of it made sense – that Aiba didn't mind being with him, hugging him, kissing him... he simply did it because he got money. The realization hit Sho so hard that he had troubles to breathe.

“Sho-chan?” he suddenly heard the familiar, breathy voice.

Aiba had finished his call and had gotten up from the sofa to start brewing some coffee but then he saw Sho standing in the doorway.

“Was is all because of the money?” Sho asked, clenching his fists.

Aiba looked at him with big eyes.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused.

“Did you sleep with me because of the money you get?” Sho wanted to know, nearly screaming the question at Aiba.

Suddenly, Aiba's confused expression turned into a sad one.

“I cannot believe you are thinking like that,” he said and grabbed his phone that he had put on the table. When he turned around to Sho again, he was seriously angry.

“I'm not a whore!” he shouted before he stormed out of the living room.

A few seconds later, Sho heard his front door being slammed, indicating that Aiba had left his flat.

* ~ * ~ *

Aiba didn't came back that day. It had been Sho's day off (yes, Jun had been generous enough to let him take some rest) and Sho had planned to spend the day with Aiba, maybe going for a walk in the park nearby or eating out in the evening.

Instead, Sho had spent the day sitting on his sofa, thinking about the past weeks with Aiba by his side. Now that he knew that it had only been a job to Aiba, the memories of evenings spend together hurt quite a lot. Sho had felt comfortable around Aiba and he had thought that Aiba liked to be with him as well.

Finding out the truth hurt Sho more than he had expected. He felt miserable, especially since he knew that Aiba had changed his thinking quite a lot. He hadn't been able to accept male couples before but living together with Aiba made him understand that the gender wasn't important if you feel good around someone else.

Sho had even crossed the border and slept with a man. It had been a very new experience to him and he had liked it at that moment. Now, it all had a bitter taste and Sho wasn't too keen on sleeping with a man again.

It seemed to him that all of this “getting involved with a man” had been a huge mistake. It had only brought him troubles and, even if he didn't really want to accept it, a broken heart.

Sho was putting all his trust in his work now, knowing that it would keep him busy for the next days so he didn't have to think about Aiba too much.

* ~ * ~ *

Not thinking about Aiba was incredibly hard, as Sho had to realise a week after said man had left his flat and never came back. Some of Aiba's stuff had been removed from his room in Sho's flat but it must have happened during a time when Sho was working.

Sho assumed that Jun had helped Aiba planning his visit as he knew Sho's working schedule by heart. All in all, however, Jun acted very neutral towards Sho. After all, Aiba was his friend too, but after Jun had asked Sho once what had happened and Sho had brushed him off quite harshly, he never touched the topic “Aiba” again.

Jun had re-organized Sho's schedule in a way that Aiba didn't need to appear in public any more. He said, that it wasn't necessary any more and Sho was more than grateful to him. He wouldn't have been able to act all happy in front of the camera with Aiba at his side after what happened. Furthermore, he didn't know if Aiba would actually come to help him out again, since Aiba had shown no interest in contacting Sho in any way.

Still, Sho thought that HE should be the one being angry. He had been deceived by Aiba and not the other way round. He couldn't understand why Aiba acted all sulky since for him it had only been work. Sho had just stated the fact and it was still a mystery to him why Aiba had gotten angry.

Suddenly, loud noises coming from the behind his office door, pulled Sho out of his thoughts.

“You cannot go in there,” Sho heard Jun screaming at someone, but that person didn't seem to mind as Sho's door opened a second later.

“Stop, NINO!” Jun could be heard but the man had already made it through the door, closed it behind him and locked it. Jun was banging on the door from outside but quickly realised that it was of no use. Nino wouldn't open the door any time soon.

“Hello, Sakurai Sho,” Nino said and his ice-like stare hit Sho right on.

“Um, hi,” Sho offered a greeting, wondering what the heck was going on.

Nino walked towards Sho and finally stopped in front of his desk. He put his hands on it and leaned forward so that he was on the same eye-level as Sho.

“You're the biggest blockhead I've ever came across,” Nino said, putting a lot of emphasize on the not so nice word.

Too shocked by Nino's words, Sho simply stared at him.

He had quickly figured out that Nino wasn't his biggest fan. Considering the fact that Sho had kind of stolen his flatmate and best friend, the politician didn't blame him. However, coming to his office and insulting him was a bit too much.

Just when Sho was about to ask what this all was about, Nino straightened himself again and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“I am here because I cannot see Aiba crying his eyes out anymore,” Nino began to explain. “I really don't approve of his choice but as a friend I cannot let him suffer any longer.”

Nino's words didn't make any sense to Sho, so he decided to simply listen.

“I've warned him. I told him to not mix up work and his private life but of course he ended up falling in love with you,” Nino went on, rolling his eyes.

Wait... Aiba fell in love with him? Sho wasn't quite able to follow Nino's pace.

“When he told me how you'd opened up to him, I decided to throw my doubts over board and tried to support Aiba in getting closer to you. Obviously, this was a mistake on my side. If I had known that you would hurt him that badly, I would have cancelled Aiba's contract with you on the spot, even if I had to take Jun's wrath upon me,” Nino said.

“Why did I hurt him badly?” Sho started to defend himself. “He told someone on the phone that he is only doing it for the money,” he explained and crossed his arms as well, mimicking a pouting child.

“Doing what?” Nino asked and his eyes flashed waspishly.

“Working with me, kissing me... sleeping with me,” Sho explained himself.

“No, you idiot, he was talking about some sponsoring for his theatre play,” Nino set things right – finally.

Sho remembered indeed that their special night had been the evening after Aiba's stage play premier. However, he had never heard about a sponsorship or anything.

“What sponsor?”, he therefore asked.

Nino sighed and finally sat down.

“To be able to present that stage play, the theatre needed a sponsor – to buy all the costumes and wigs and such,” Nino began to explain. “It was quite hard to find one but Aiba finally managed. However, the sponsor insisted that he'd get a role in the stage play as well, not just a minor role. Since they couldn't find any other sponsor, they had to let him join their play but it soon turned out that this man wasn't the best performer and Aiba as well as his co-workers had a hard time to cover up all the mistakes he was constantly making. Luckily, he did quite well on the premier. The sponsor had offered to also help them out for their next play, but Aiba is not sure if he wants to continue working with him or not. They need the money, but he is also a lot of trouble, so they are in a pinch,” Nino finally ended his explanation.

Sho was hit by several feelings at once. The first one was relief. Aiba hadn't thought that Sho was a terrible lover and according to Nino Aiba actually really liked him.

The second emotion though made him flinch. He felt terribly guilty. He never had given Aiba the chance to explain himself but had only thrown his harsh accusations at him. If someone had done this to Sho he was sure that he was never able to forgive him.

“As I can see on your face you finally realised what a big moron you are,” Nino said, looking at Sho with a unnerved expression.

Sho might have not expressed it that directly but Nino was right. Sho had been stupid and he quickly had to apologize to Aiba and maybe there was a chance to continue where they had been before this terrible misunderstanding.

“Can I go to him?” he asked Nino, who inhaled sharply.

“This is not even a question. Since Aiba does not listen to me when I tell him that you're a stupid man who doesn't deserve him, the only thing to pull him out of his depressive mood seems to be you, telling him that you don't think of him AS A WHORE!”

Again, Nino was shooting lightings from his eyes and Sho knew that he deserved them. He stood up quickly, grabbed the jacket that had been hanging over his chair and ran towards the door.

“Sho!” Nino suddenly called him and the politician turned around. “Aiba won't open the door for you, so take my keys.”

Sho caught the set of keys Nino threw at him and nodded towards the other man. He understood that this was some kind of a peace offer.

When he opened the door, he nearly crashed against Jun who seemed to have waited in front of it.

“Sho, where are you going?” he screamed. “They'll announce the election's results in the next hour!”

However, Sho didn't seem to hear him and he was just running down the hallway, already taking his phone out to call his driver.

Jun sighed and looked into Sho's office, his eyes meeting Nino's.

“Yeah, you're right. They should talk,” he finally gave in after a silent battle with his friend. Then, Jun marched into Sho's office, falling down on a chair next to Nino.

“But now you have to stay here with me until they announce the results. This waiting makes me go crazy...,” he instructed Nino who accepted his fate with a deep sigh.

* ~ * ~ *

Although Ohno had been given the day off, he picked Sho up from his office just a few minutes later. He must have been driving like crazy to be there that fast, but today, Sho didn't care at all. He told Ohno to bring him to Aiba's flat who took the order with a tiny nod.

When they arrived, Sho didn't wait for Ohno to open the door for him, but got out as soon as the car had stopped, running towards the door. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he took the stairs, two with one step.

He opened the door with Nino's keys and quickly entered. He opened the door to the living room but couldn't see Aiba. Did he go out?

“Welcome back, Nino. Where have you been?” he suddenly heard Aiba's voice, obviously coming from the kitchen, so he quickly walked to this room.

When he appeared in the doorway, Aiba let the plate he had been washing up just now fall into the sink again. His face showed several expressions, from shock over disbelieve and finally anger.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice unusually cold.

“To apologise,” Sho said and moved closer to Aiba who, to Sho's relief, didn't back away from him.

Since Aiba did not show any intention to speak, Sho continued.

“I assumed something that had been wrong,” he began and Aiba nodded. “I should have given you the chance to explain things though before I threw such harsh words at you. I am seriously sorry, Aiba,” Sho apologised and cursed himself that he, as a rhetorically gifted person, couldn't come up with anything better.

However, Aiba seemed to hear the honesty in his voice since his expression softened.

“You know, I didn't really mind you assuming something like this. After I thought about what I said I can understand that you took it the way you did. However, I was so shocked that you believe I am capable of sleeping with you just because of the money. I thought you'd gotten to know me over the past weeks. Your words hurt me so much,” Aiba said and his eyes turned sad.

Again, Sho didn't know what else to say than to apologise again.

“I am so sorry, Aiba, please believe me. You are right. I should have known by now that you are not the person to do something like that. However, I was hurt as well because I came to like you a lot and I felt rejected, something I couldn't cope with,” Sho told Aiba his true feelings. 

“You... like me?” Aiba asked, forgetting about the real topic of their conversation.

“A lot,” Sho gave back and threw a shy smile at Aiba.

“Although I am a man?”, Aiba went on inquiring, but his eyes had begun to sparkle again.

“Although you're a man!” Sho stated and finally grinned widely at Aiba.

“You know, I like you too,” Aiba admitted. “Although you're an idiot,” he added then and this time Sho didn't mind at all being called like that.

“Would you mind if that idiot would take you into his arms?” the politician asked for permission.

“Not at all,” Aiba laughed and let himself be caught in Sho's strong embrace. He wrapped his arms around Sho's back as well and left two wet spots on his shirt as his hands were still covered in water from washing the dished.

Sho, however, didn't mind at all now that he finally could hold Aiba in his arms again. He had been missing him so much and he knew for sure that he would never let Aiba out of his life if he wanted to stay.

“What do you think about stopping to deceive the public and starting a real relationship with me?” he therefore asked, pressing Aiba closer to his body.

“Politicians are great liar as we all know, but let's show the people that you are none,” Aiba replied and giggled when Sho gave him a light slap on his head.

“I am not lying when I tell you that I want to repeat the things we did in bed last week,” the “honest” politician replied.

“I'm ready for it at any time,” Aiba laughed, reaching for Sho's butt.

Before things got out of hand, Sho's phone started ringing. He suddenly remembered that today was actually the biggest day in his career. Aiba had made him forget all about work, which could be counted as a sign for a very long-lasting relationship.

“Take it,” Aiba advised him, knowing about the importance of today as well.

Sho did as he was told. When he cut the call, Aiba was looking at him expectantly.

“It was Jun,” Sho said. “He told me that I lost by only a few votes.”

“Oh, Sho,” Aiba sighed and took him into his arms again. “I assure you that **I** voted for you!”

“You did?” Sho asked. “Although I behaved that terribly towards you?”

“Yeah, I did,” Aiba gave back and looked into Sho's eyes, smiling softly.

“Yours is the only vote that counts,” Sho assured him and finally pulled Aiba into a deep kiss.

* ~ * ~ *

It was the morning of the third day after the results of the election had been announced. Sho had taken his defeat better than he thought. The reason for that was in all probability Aiba who had moved into Sho's flat again – this time with all his belongings.

Nino had complained that living alone wasn't fun but when Aiba had offered to buy him a dog to keep him company, Nino had decided that he'd be fine by himself. A dog, as he had explained, required him to go out at least two times a day which was unreasonable.

Therefore, Aiba was planning on buying Nino a cat (without him knowing) and Sho had decided that he should not interfere in this matter.

Jun had been the one being the most depressed about Ikuta's victory. He simply hadn't been able to understand how his great plan of having Sho faking his relationship with a man did not get him the most votes.

Sho, knowing that Tokyo was going to be governed by Ikuta from now on, felt relieved. He was sure that there was no better mayor for this town than his former opponent (and maybe himself).

He would go back to his old work in the Jimintou with Jun still being his assistant. Maybe, in four years, there would be a new chance for him.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. When Sho looked up he saw Jun opening the door, carrying an unreadable expression.

“You have a visitor,” he announced and opened the door a bit wider.

“Good morning,” Ikuta beamed and walked into the room, Jun closing the door behind them again.

Sho was surprised but delighted to see him in his office. He liked the man after all.

“You don't look depressed or anything,” Ikuta remarked and Sho smiled.

“Since I know that it's you who'll be taking care of our city now, I didn't mind losing,” Sho gave back and felt utterly mature.

“Actually, I came to you to talk about my government,” Ikuta explained and Sho looked at him questioningly.

“I have always looked up to you and your ideas concerning this town. Since I still need a chief consultant, I wondered if you might be up for the job. Before you ask, of course, I will offer Jun a job too. I know you're inseparable,” Ikuta offered and Sho wasn't sure he heard correctly.

As the chief consultant you were pulling the strings in the background, being involved in all the important decisions that had to be made. This job was nearly as important as the mayor's and would offer Sho even more insight on the politics of the town and country. Furthermore, Jun could come with him. It would offer him many new opportunities as well.

Since Ikuta seemed not to be joking about it and was looking at Sho expectantly, he quickly started to speak.

“I'd be delighted to work as your chief consultant,” he assured Ikuta who seemed to be quite relived.

“Then it'll be your task starting tomorrow morning,” Tokyo's mayor smiled and Sho couldn't believe how lucky he was.

“I am sure together we can achieve a lot of things,” Ikuta said and Sho agreed. He and the new mayor would complement each other perfectly and both were driving by the same motives and beliefs.

“Also, I expect working with you will be very interesting. You're always in for a surprise,” Ikuta added.

“What do you mean?” Sho asked. He didn't consider himself as an interesting person.

“I thought that all of this “being in love with a man” had been an act to secure you votes from several political uninterested or disappointed groups,” Ikuta explained and Sho's blood froze. “However, when I saw you and Aiba-chan at the party yesterday, you were as cute as always, so you really seem to like him,” he went on and Sho relaxed.

He didn't need to tell Toma that he was closer to the truth than he had thought – at least not now...

* ~ * ~ * THE END * ~ * ~ *


End file.
